Nevada Medicaid and Check Up for a Grandchild in Kinship Care

A grandchild in your care needs health coverage, and you are worried your retirement income will disqualify them. In Nevada, it almost certainly will not. The way Medicaid counts income for a child living with a non-parent relative protects most kinship households from the caregiver's finances being a barrier.

Why Your Income Usually Doesn't Count

Nevada Medicaid and Nevada Check Up use Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) household rules set by the federal government. When a child lives with a relative who is not their legal parent and does not claim them as a tax dependent, the child's eligibility is evaluated as a separate non-filer household unit.

Under non-filer rules, the child's household income includes only the child's own countable MAGI income, if any. Your pension, Social Security retirement, wages, and savings are completely excluded from the child's healthcare eligibility assessment.

This means a grandparent earning $60,000 a year in retirement income can still have a grandchild qualify for full Nevada Medicaid at zero cost, because the child's own income is the only number that matters.

Nevada Medicaid vs. Nevada Check Up

Both programs are administered by DWSS and cover children through age 18:

Nevada Medicaid covers children in households up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $22,025 annually for a single-person household). It provides comprehensive coverage with zero premiums, zero copays, and zero deductibles. Children enrolled in Medicaid receive Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) services — full dental, vision, hearing, behavioral health, and therapy coverage that goes beyond typical commercial insurance.

Nevada Check Up (Nevada's CHIP program) covers children in households between 138% and 205% FPL (up to $56,006 for a three-person household). Check Up charges small quarterly premiums based on household size and income tier, but eliminates copays and deductibles for most services.

Both programs enforce 12-month continuous eligibility. Once a child is enrolled, they cannot be dropped mid-year because of minor income fluctuations.

You Do Not Need a Court Order

This is the point that surprises most kinship caregivers: you do not need legal guardianship or custody to enroll a child in Medicaid or Nevada Check Up. A relative caregiver who provides physical care and supervision can apply on behalf of the child. DWSS verifies residence and caregiving, not legal custody status.

How to Apply

Apply through the Access Nevada online portal or by submitting a paper application at a DWSS district office. You can apply for Medicaid, TANF, and SNAP simultaneously on the same form.

Documents you need: the child's birth certificate, Social Security number, proof of Nevada residency, and the child's own income documentation (if any). Bring your ID and any records showing the child lives with you.

DWSS processes Medicaid applications within 30 calendar days for standard cases and within 90 calendar days for disability-related Medicaid.

Managed Care in Urban Counties

In Clark County and Washoe County, children enrolled in Medicaid or Check Up are assigned to a managed care organization — Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Health Plan of Nevada, or Molina Healthcare. You choose a plan at enrollment or one is assigned. In rural counties, coverage runs through fee-for-service Medicaid, meaning you visit any provider who accepts Nevada Medicaid.

Renewals and Redetermination

DWSS runs ex parte redeterminations — automated data matching to verify continued eligibility — before sending paper renewal forms. In many cases, the renewal happens without you needing to submit new paperwork. If a paper renewal is required, respond by the deadline printed on the notice.

If DWSS terminates eligibility and you believe the child still qualifies, request a fair hearing within 10 calendar days of the notice mailing date to preserve existing coverage during the appeal. For a decision made by a Medicaid managed care plan, first file the plan's internal appeal within 60 calendar days before requesting a state fair hearing.

Our Nevada Kinship Financial Help Guide covers the full landscape of health coverage options for kinship children, including how Medicaid interacts with KinGAP subsidies and the guardianship assistance program.

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